TOBACCO  GROWING 

IN  THE 

CONNECTICUT  RIVER  VALLEY. 

by 

Leslie  R.  Smith 


V 


1 
STATE  BOAKD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


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CIRCULAR    No.    51 

August,  1915. 


TOBACCO  GROWING 

IN  THE 

CONNECTICUT  RIVER  VALLEY. 


Leslie  R.  Smith. 


From  the  Sixty-third  Annual  Report  op  the  Massachusetts  State  Board  of 
Agriculture. 


BOSTON: 

WEIGHT  &  POTTER  FEINTING  CO.,  STATE  PRINTEES, 

32  DEENE  STREET. 

1915. 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  DATE 
INDICATED  BELOW  AND  IS  SUB- 
JECT TO  AN  OVERDUE  FINE  AS 
POSTED  AT  THE  CIRCULATION 
DESK. 


INTRODUCTORY    NOTE. 


According  to  the  latest  census  reports  the  Connecticut  river  towns  in 
Massachusetts  produce  about  a  miUion  and  a  half  dollars  worth  of  tobacco 
annually.  As  the  last  definite  enumeration  was  the  Federal  Census  of 
1910,  which  reported  the  1909  crop,  these  figures  are  now  six  years  old. 
The  increase  since  that  year  has  been  steady,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that 
the  annual  value  of  the  crop  in  this  State  at  present  is  not  far  from 
$2,000,000. 

The  tobacco  towns  of  Massachusetts  are  entirely  in  Franklin,  Hamp- 
shire and  Hampden  counties.  By  the  latest  available  figures  Hatfield  is 
the  banner  tobacco  town  of  the  State,  with  a  production  valued  at  $301,- 
204;  Hadley,  second,  $192,258;  and  then  come  Agawam,  Whately,  Deer- 
field,  Southwick,  Westfield  and  Sunderland  in  the  order  named.  Hatfield 
alone  has  17  tobacco  storehouses,  and  425  freight  cars  are  needed  to  ship 
the  tobacco  crop  from  this  one  town. 


3^7^^S 


TOBACCO  GROWING  IN  THE  CONNECTICUT 
EIVER  VALLEY. 


LESLIE    R.  SMITH,  HADLEY,  MASSACHUSETTS. 


Tobacco  has  been  grown  in  the  Connecticut  valley  since 
about  1840,  and  while  the  crop  has  had  its  ups  and  downs  it 
may  be  said  to  have  steadily  increased  in  acreage  since  that 
time.  The  past  fifteen  years  have  seen  by  far  the  greatest 
percentage  of  increase,  and  the  end  is  not  yet.  Every  grower 
is  growing  all  the  tobacco  that  he  can  hang  in  his  curing  sheds, 
and  so  new  sheds  are  the  very  best  indication  of  an  increase  in 
acreage.  The  increase  of  1915  over  the  1914  acreage  was 
around  25  per  cent.  This  crop  is  by  far  the  most  important 
money  crop  grown  in  this  section,  and  represents  extensive 
and  intensive  agriculture  of  the  highest  order. 

The  rapid  increase  of  the  past  fifteen  or  twenty  years  may  be 
explained  by  improved  machinery,  more  abundant  help,  and, 
most  important  of  all,  the  fact  that  in  recent  years  the  crop 
has  brought  prices  that  enable  the  grower  to  make  expenses 
and  have  something  left  over  for  his  labor  and  as  a  profit  for 
his  operations. 

The  successful  tobacco  grower  is  a  specialist,  as  no  crop 
grown  calls  for  more  scientific  knowledge  or  the  application  of 
more  common  sense.  In  the  growing,  harvesting  and  curing 
of  the  crop  the  grower  has  to  know  something  of  practical 
chemistry,  physics  and  biology. 

But  after  all  is  said  and  done,  the  weather  is  the  dominant 
factor.  The  history  of  the  good  or  poor  tobacco  crop  tells  the 
story  of  the  weather,  —  as  in  1893  when  the  crop  was  largely 
a  failure  on  account  of  drought,  and  in  1897  again  a  failure  on 
account  of  excessive  rain.  Late  frosts  in  the  spring,  early  frost 
in  the  fall,  the  hail  and  windstorms,  periods  of  excessive  mois- 
ture or  too  dry  weather  at  curing  time,  all  show  how  the  grower 


must  depend  upon  nature  for  his  ultimate  success.  Indeed 
from  the  time  the  seed  bed  is  sown  until  the  end  of  the  season 
the  only  time  that  the  grower  is  sure  of  his  success  is  when  he 
gets  the  money  for  his  crop.  Yet  he  is  optimistic;  he  "nur- 
tures hope,"  he  raises  his  crop,  doing  all  he  knows  how,  and  if 
appearances  count  for  anything  he  is  getting  along  perhaps  as 
well  or  better  than  the  average  business  man. 

There  is  no  ironclad  rule  to  be  laid  down  for  raising  tobacco. 
The  best  growers  often  change  their  methods  and  are  constantly 
on  the  lookout  to  learn  of  new  ideas  that  will  prove  beneficial, 
so  that  the  story  of  tobacco  growing  as  told  in  this  article  will 
not  attempt  to  tell  of  any  best  way,  but  will  describe  the 
methods  as  practiced  by  the  most  progressive  growers. 

The  Seed  Bed. 

Tobacco  is  raised  on  the  same  land  year  after  year.  Most 
growers  plow  or  harrow  the  land  immediately  after  the  harvest, 
thus  avoiding  a  useless  second  crop  of  suckers  that  grow  from 
the  stump  and  remove  a  good  deal  of  plant  food  from  the  soil. 
Many  believe  that  if  the  field  is  kept  fallow  during  the  late  fall 
and  winter  it  will  not  attract  the  moth  that  lays  the  egg  of 
the  cutworm,  a  pest  that  is  the  cause  of  much  trouble.  The 
land  is  left  fallow  until  the  next  year's  crop  is  set  out.  This 
period  is  a  convenient  one  in  which  to  apply  lime. 

Each  year  finds  the  grower  paying  more  and  more  attention 
to  the  seed  bed,  there  being  perhaps  no  one  thing  that  gives 
him  as  much  satisfaction  in  the  spring  as  a  good  bed.  Opera- 
tions begin  in  the  fall,  the  grower  selecting  a  place  for  his  bed 
sheltered  from  the  cold  north  and  west  winds.  Sometimes  it 
may  be  necessary  to  build  a  board  fence  for  this  purpose.  Many 
apply  the  fertilizer  at  this  time  and  harrow  it  in.  This  is  con- 
sidered the  better  way  if  cottonseed  meal  is  used,  and  some 
of  the  best  growers  say  that  there  is  nothing  better.  In  the 
spring  as  soon  as  the  ground  is  dry  enough  to  work  the  beds 
are  "made."  This  operation  consists  of  fitting  the  land, 
putting  up  a  frame  and  sowing  the  seed.  Beds  used  to  be 
covered  with  brush,  but  this  material  has  been  superseded  by 
cloth  and  glass,  glass  being  by  far  the  better.  The  sash  are 
3  by  6,  3  by  9  or  3  by  11  feet,  to  suit  the  grower.  These 
glass  beds  have  enabled  the  grower  of  to-day  to  transplant  or 


"set"  tobacco  from  three  to  four  weeks  earlier  than  from  the 
brush-covered  beds  of  years  ago.  In  "making"  the  bed  the 
land  is  made  as  fine  as  possible  with  harrows  and  rollers,  and 
last  with  a  hand  rake.  The  seed  is  sown  by  some  growers 
at  the  rate  of  one  teaspoonful  to  the  square  rod;  others  sow 
one  tablespoonful  to  the  square  rod.  After  being  run  through 
a  cleaning  machine  to  blow  out  the  dirt  and  light  seeds  the 
clean  seed  is  usually  mixed  with  plaster,  ashes  or  fertilizer  so 
as  to  get  an  even  stand.  After  sowing,  the  bed  is  either  raked 
lightly,  rolled  with  a  hand  roller  or  simply  wet  down  with  a 
hose;  then  the  cloth  or  glass  is  put  on.  Some  sow  the  seed 
dry,  while  others  sprout  it  first. 

There  are  two  varieties  of  tobacco  raised  in  the  valley,  — 
Havana  seed  and  Seed  Leaf  or  Broad  Leaf.  The  former  is  by 
far  the  most  common  in  the  Massachusetts  part  of  the  valley, 
only  a  comparatively  few  raising  the  Broad  Leaf. 

After  the  plants  are  up  every  known  method  is  used  to  force 
them.  The  bed  may  be  sprinkled  with  manure  \vater,  or  with 
water  which  has  had  ammonia  added  at  the  rate  of^one  tea- 
spoonful  to  the  gallon,  or  water  with  nitrate  of  soda  dissolved 
in  it.  Another  method  is  to  sow  fertilizer  before  watering. 
Dry  ground  fish  is  a  good  material  for  this  purpose  as  it  does 
not  injure  the  young  plants  and  it  is  quickly  available.  Great 
care  should  be  taken  of  the  bed,  especially  a  glass  bed.  Often 
a  fine  bed  is  ruined  because  the  owner  did  not  raise  his  sash  on 
a  hot  day;  again,  lack  of  air  also  causes  "damping  oft',"  a 
disease  in  which  the  plant  decays  just  above  ground.  Steriliz- 
ing the  ground  with  live  steam  in  the  fall  or  spring  is  growing 
in  favor  as  this  not  only  kills  all  fungous  diseases,  but  the  weed 
seeds  as  well.  A  large  square  pan  of  galvanized  iron,  boards 
or  other  material  is  inverted  over  the  bed.  This  is  pushed 
down  into  the  soil,  after  which  live  steam  is  turned  under  the 
pan  and  held  at  a  pressure  of  80  pounds  for  half  an  hour,  when 
the  pan  is  moved  to  a  new  place.  An  objection  to  the  wood  box 
is  that  it  becomes  heavy  after  being  soaked  with  steam.  One 
pan  made  of  galvanized  iron  6  by  12  feet  cost  a  grower  $22. 
This  grower  claims  that  his  beds  were  steamed  at  a  cost  of 
about  SI  per  square  rod.  He  grows  about  30  acres  and 
started  to  steam  his  beds  in  the  fall,  but  was  compelled  to 
give  up  the  operation  on  account  of  freezing  and  finish  in  the 


8 

spring.  This  grower  advocates  steaming  in  the  fall,  as  fuel 
is  saved  by  the  ground  not  being  cold,  and  there  is  no  frost 
to  thaw  out.  Many  growers  claim  that  this  steaming  will  pay 
for  itself  simply  in  the  saving  of  weeds. 

Fertilizing  the  Crop. 

INIaterials  used  to  fertilize  the  crop  are  barnyard  manure, 
city  stable  manure,  tobacco  stalks,  tobacco  stems  and  com- 
mercial fertilizers  of  many  kinds.  Barnyard  manure  is  not 
extensively  used  because  it  is  not  to  be  had.  However,  if  used 
it  should  be  plowed  under  either  in  the  fall  or  spring.  A  great 
deal  of  city  stable  manure  is  bought.  Tobacco  stems  are  used 
to  some  extent,  but  the  quantity  is  limited.  Quite  a  number  of 
growers  are  plowing  under  their  tobacco  stalks  which  have 
been  found  to  contain  from  6  to  8  per  cent,  potash.  At  a  to- 
bacco meeting  held  during  the  winter  of  1915  one  of  the 
speakers  asked  how  many  growers  present  plowed  under  their 
stalks,  and  about  one-half  of  those  present  replied  in  the 
affirmative.    This  well  illustrates  the  attitude  of  the  grower. 

The  bulk  of  the  valley  crop  is  raised  on  chemical  fertilizer, 
and  nearly  every  fertilizer  company  makes  one  or  more  special 
brands  for  this  crop.  Neither  all  the  good  nor  all  the  poor 
tobacco  is  raised  on  one  particular  brand.  Years  of  experience 
have  taught  the  grower  to  be  particular  about  the  goods  he 
uses.  The  materials  must  be  quickly  available  as  the  crop  must 
ripen  in  from  sixty  to  eighty  days  from  setting.  The  fertilizer 
also  has  considerable  effect  on  those  desirable  qualities  known 
as  "body,"  "finish"  and  "burn."  Cottonseed  meal  is  the 
favorite  source  of  nitrogen.  Other  ammoniates  used  are  linseed 
meal,  dry  ground  fish  and  castor  pomace.  Bone  of  some  sort 
is  well  liked  as  the  source  of  phosphoric  acid,  and  sulphate 
is  the  favorite  potash,  muriate  being  tabooed  on  account  of 
the  chlorine  contents  which  affect  the  "burn." 

^Yith  a  coat  of  manure  1  ton  of  fertilizer  per  acre  will  raise 
a  good  crop,  but  where  manure  is  not  available  1^  to  2  tons  of 
the  high-grade  goods  are  often  used,  the  idea  being  to  have 
enough  plant  food  to  insure  a  good  growth.  After  the  land  is 
plowed,  harrowed  and  rolled  the  fertilizer  is  applied  broadcast. 
For  this  operation  the  fertilizer  machine  is  invaluable,  es- 
pecially  in   windy   weather.     No   time   or  expense   should   be 


spared  in  properly  fitting  the  tobacco  land,  filling  in  furrows, 
if  there  are  any,  and  using  the  most  efficient  tools  to  pulverize 
and  level  the  land. 

Setting. 
Transplanting  or  setting  the  plants  generally  begins  about 
the  20th  of  May,  and  is  the  order  of  the  day  until  the  crop  is 
well  started,  usually  a  month  l^ter.  Setting  is  almost  wholly 
done  with  a  machine  called  the  tobacco  setter,  and  this  is  by 
far  the  most  valuable  machine  used  in  the  business.  The  old 
back-breaking  method  of  hand  setting  has  almost  entirely  dis- 
appeared from  the  valley.  The  setter  needs  plants  that  are  a 
little  larger  than  for  hand  setting,  but  does  the  ridging,  setting, 
watering  and  marking  for  the  next  row  at  one  operation.  This 
machine  requires  three  men  and  a  pair  of  horses,  and  can  easily 
set  two  acres  in  an  afternoon,  while  in  an  all-day  session  three 
to  five  acres  can  be  set,  depending  on  conditions.  Tobacco  is 
usually  set  with  the  rows  3  feet  apart,  and  the  plants  from  15 
to  20  inches  apart  in  the  tow.  Plants  that  do  not  live  should  be 
reset  at  once  by  hand  if  an  even  stand  is  to  be  had. 

Cultivation. 
As  soon  as  the  plants  have  started  cultivation  begins.  A 
favorite  tool  for  the  first  time  is  a  12-tooth  cultivator,  which 
by  careful  handling  will  allow  the  operator  to  work  close  to  the 
row,  the  machine  being  run  twice  in  each  row.  If  deep  cul- 
tivation is  to  be  practiced,  the  early  part  of  the  season  is  the 
time  to  do  it,  before  the  root  system  has  developed.  Hand 
hoeing  is  next  in  order,  and  from  now  on  as  long  as  a  horse 
can  travel  between  the  rows  the  land  should  be  stirred  once  a 
week  or  even  oftener.  Some  growers  hoe  by  hand  three  or 
four  times  in  a  season,  while  others  use  the  horse  hoe.  INIany 
different  methods  are  used,  but  the  principle  is  the  same, 
namely,  to  keep  the  soil  well  stirred  so  as  to  retain  moisture 
and  to  keep  the  plant  growing  all  the  time. 

Topping  and  Suckering. 
When  the  plant  has  grown  large  enough  for  the  seed  bud  to 
appear,  the  top  is  broken  off,  or  the  plant  is  "topped,"  the 
idea  being  to  throw  the  strength  that  would  naturally  go  into 


10 

the  small  top  leaves,  blossom  and  seed  into  the  larger  leaves 
left  on  the  stalk.  These  are  usually  from  18  to  22  in  number. 
After  the  field  is  topped  it  presents  a  very  even  appearance. 
In  a  week  or  ten  days  after  "topping"  suckers  will  appear, 
starting  from  the  base  of  the  three  or  four  top  leaves.  These 
are  picked  off,  or  the  plant  is  "top  suckered."  After  these  top 
suckers  are  taken  off  the  leaves  further  down  the  stalk  will 
begin  to  throw  out  suckers,  and  these  in  turn  must  be  picked 
off.  Usually  when  the  bottom  suckers  are  grown  or  are  big 
enough  to  take  off  the  plant  will  be  nearly  or  quite  ripe  and 
ready  to  harvest.  This  will  be  about  three  weeks  from  "top- 
ping." The  crop  should  be  allowed  to  get  ripe,  a  condition 
which  is  shown  by  the  plant  having  a  slightly  wilted  appear- 
ance, especially  on  the  bottom  leaves.  Light  green  blotches  will 
also  show  all  over  the  top  leaves.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
some  crops  are  cut  too  green,  the  result  being  a  dark-colored 
crop  that  wdll  not  bring  the  best  prices. 

Harvesting. 
There  are  three  methods  of  harvesting  in  vogue  in  the 
valley  to-day.  The  first  two  to  be  described  have  been  in 
practice  for  years;  the  third  is  a  new  method  that  is  gaining 
in  favor  each  year.  The  first  is  "hanging  on  lath."  The 
plants  are  cut  close  to  the  ground  with  a  thin-bladed  hatchet 
made  for  the  purpose.  They  are  then  laid  down  lengthwise 
of  the  row  and  overlapping  each  other;  after  lying  in  the  sun 
long  enough  to  wilt  they  are  picked  up  and  handed  to  the 
"stringer"  who  strings  them  on  a  lath.  These  laths  are  sim- 
ilar to  builders'  laths,  being  sawed  a  little  thicker  and  from 
better  lumber.  One  end  is  placed  in  a  "stringing  horse"  and 
the  other  end  is  fitted  to  a  steel  needle.  The  plant  is  then 
strung  on  the  lath  by  forcing  the  needle  through  the  butt  of 
the  stalk  about  6  or  8  inches  from  the  end,  5  or  6  plants 
being  strung  on  a  lath.  The  full  lath  is  either  laid  on  the  ground 
and  later  picked  up,  or  handed  directly  to  a  wagon  fitted  with 
a  rack  made  for  the  purpose.  It  is  then  drawn  to  the  curing 
shed  and  hung  on  poles,  arranged  so  that  each  end  of  the  lath 
rests  on  a  pole,  allowing  the  tobacco  to  hang  downward.  Poles 
are  usually  15  feet  long  and  from  25  to  30  laths  are  hung  on  a 


11 

pole.  They  begin  at  the  top  of  the  shed  and  are  hung  tier 
after  tier  until  the  shed  is  full,  the  tiers  being  usually  5  feet 
high. 

"Hanging  on  string"  is  another  well-known  method  of  har- 
vesting, and  many  growers  favor  it  above  all  others.  The 
plants  are  cut  as  before,  only  they  are  laid  crossways  of  the 
row,  and  after  being  allowed  to  wilt  are  loaded  directly  onto 
low  wagons,  the  butts  laid  all  one  way.  The  plants  are  then 
drawn  into  the  shed  where  they  are  hung  on  poles  with  tobacco 
twine.  The  hanger  carries  a  bag  on  his  back  which  holds  a 
ball  of  twine.  With  this  he  hangs  the  plants  about  8  inches 
apart  on  the  poles  by  tying  a  half  hitch  around  each  plant. 
When  the  pole  is  full  the  twine  is  tied  around  the  last  plant, 
broken  off  and  the  next  pole  started. 

Priming. 
This  new  method  of  harvesting  tobacco  came  with  the  shade- 
grown  tobacco,  and  has  found  favor  among  many  growers  who 
grow  the  outside  or  sun-grow^n  tobacco.  The  barn  has  to  be 
rigged  differently,  with  the  tiers  only  half  as  far  apart  as  either 
of  the  methods  previously  described.  The  plant  is  not  cut,  but 
the  leaves  are  picked  off  or  "primed,"  as  they  ripen,  four  or 
five  at  a  time,  beginning  with  the  bottom  one.  The  pickers  sit 
down  between  the  two  rows  and  "prime"  both  rows,  placing  the 
leaves  in  little  piles.  These  are  picked  up  by  another  man  and 
placed  in  baskets  and  are  drawn  to  the  end  of  the  row  on  a 
hand  truck,  loaded  onto  a  wagon,  and  taken  to  the  shed  where 
the  leaves  are  strung.  Generally  women  and  children  do  this 
work,  using  large  needles  and  stringing  forty  leaves  on  a  string, 
which  has  been  knotted  at  one  end.  After  the  leaves  are  all 
on,  the  stringer  knots  the  other  end  of  the  string  and  hangs  it 
on  a  lath  which  has  been  notched  at  either  end.  These  laths 
are  then  hung  up  tier  upon  tier  as  aforesaid.  In  a  few  days 
the  second  priming  is  taken  and  so  on  until  the  crop  is  har- 
vested. Cases  have  been  known  where  the  first  priming  has 
become  cured  and  taken  down  before  the  last  priming  was 
taken,  thus  giving  a  chance  to  use  the  shed  a  second  time  in 
the  same  season.  When  the  crop  is  to  be  primed  it  is  not 
necessary  to  top  the  plant.     After  the  priming  is  finished  the 


12 

stalks  are  cut  down  and  utilized  in  different  ways;  some  growers 
run  them  through  a  cutting  machine  and  plow  them  under  or 
use  them  for  top-dressing  grass. 

Curing. 

The  curing  shed  is  really  the  factor  limiting  the  increase  of 
tobacco  acreage.  It  is  useless  for  the  grower  to  set  more  plants 
than  he  has  shed  room  to  take  care  of.  To  hang  an  acre  of 
tobacco  requires  a  shed  30  by  30  feet.  A  building  this  size  will 
cost  from  $300  up,  depending  upon  whether  it  is  of  frame  or 
of  pole  construction.  The  pole  shed  is  built  by  setting  the 
posts  in  the  ground  and  is  not  framed,  the  braces  being  nailed 
on.  This  type  of  shed  is  by  far  the  most  common.  The  frame 
shed  is  built  so  that  every  third  board  is  a  door  for  ventilating 
purposes. 

With  the  crop  in  the  barn  the  grower  has  to  watch  it  closely, 
opening  the  ventilating  doors  on  some  days  and  closing  them  on 
others;  at  all  times  there  should  be  a  man  near  at  hand  to  note 
the  changes  in  the  weather  and  to  act  accordingly.  With  tons 
of  water  in  the  crop  which  must  evaporate  in  a  few  weeks  this 
is  an  anxious  time  for  the  grower.  Too  much  moisture  will 
retard  evaporation;  then,  too,  there  is  danger  of  "pole  sweat," 
while  a  dry  season  with  the  doors  open  all  the  time  will  dry 
and  not  cure  the  crop. 

Taking  Down. 
With  the  crop  cured  the  next  step  is  to  take  it  down.  The 
tobacco  has  now  changed  from  a  heavy  green  leaf  to  a  light 
thin  brown,  and  is  so  dry  that  it  will  crumble  if  grasped  by 
the  hand.  To  get  the  crop  down  whole,  therefore,  it  has  to  be 
handled  at  a  damp  time,  when  the  leaf  is  said  to  be  in  "case" 
or,  more  commonly,  "in  good  shape."  "As  soft  as  a  kid 
glove"  is  an  expression  often  used  in  describing  this  condition. 
When  this  warm,  damp  spell  comes,  no  matter  if  in  the  middle 
of  the  night  or  on  Sunday,  the  grower  gets  very  busy  with  all 
the  help  he  can  command  and  takes  down  all  he  can  handle. 
With  the  lath  method  the  laths  are  simply  slipped  off  the  pole, 
and  with  a  man  on  each  tier  are  handed  very  carefully  and 
quickly  to  the  floor.  There  the  tobacco  is  pulled  off  the  lath 
and  piled  with  the  butts  laid  both  ways,  making  a  pile  about 


13 

6  feet  wide  and  as  high  as  the  weather  will  allow.  Early  in  the 
fall  the  pile  cannot  be  made  as  high*  as  later,  because  the  stalks 
are  green  and  there  is  more  danger  of  the  pile  heating. 

When  hung  on  string  a  man  at  each  end  of  the  pole  pushes 
the  tobacco  into  a  bunch  in  the  middle  of  the  pole.  One  man 
with  a  sharp  knife  then  cuts  the  string,  the  other  man  handing 
the  bundle  to  the  man  lower  down,  when  it  is  piled  as  before. 
With  the  primed  tobacco  it  is  simply  slipped  off  the  string  and 
placed  at  once  into  a  bundle.  After  the  pile  is  made  it  must 
be  at  once  covered  so  as  to  retain  the  moisture.  Different 
materials  are  used  for  this  purpose,  such  as  damp  cornstalks, 
paper,  cloth,  etc.  From  now  on  the  crop  must  be  kept  damp, 
and  the  shed  should  be  shut  as  tight  as  possible  to  keep  out 
the  wind. 

Stripping. 

As  soon  as  possible  after  the  tobacco  is  taken  down  "strip- 
ping" begins.  With  the  hands  on  either  side  of  the  pile  a 
section  is  uncovered,  each  plant  is  taken  up,  and  the  leaves 
rapidly  picked  off  or  "stripped"  one  at  a  time.  The  stripper 
begins  at  the  butt,  and  when  finished  piles  the  stumps  behind 
him.  The  leaves  are  placed  in  the  stripping  boxes  which  are 
of  different  sizes,  36  inches  long  and  12  inches  square  being 
about  the  average.  The  box  is  made  with  three  sides  and  the 
ends  tight,  with  saw  calves  on  the  side  for  the  string.  First 
the  string  is  placed  in  the  box,  then  paper  of  the  right  size. 
After  the  box  is  full  the  paper  is  brought  over  the  top,  the  string 
is  tied  and  the  bundle  taken  out  of  the  box.  The  bundles  are 
piled  up  from  three  to  five  high  and  the  crop  is  then  ready  for 
delivery.  The  grower  has  to  deliver  the  crop  to  the  place 
agreed  upon  at  time  of  sale,  either  to  a  warehouse  or  a  railroad 
station.  Some  of  the  crops  are  bought  in  the  field  before  they 
are  harvested,  but  the  majority  of  the  tobacco  is  sold,  and 
nearly  all  is  delivered  to  the  sorting  shops  in  the  bundle.  The 
sorting,  packing  and  sweating  is  done  by  the  dealer  in  most 
cases,  and  there  are  the  best  of  reasons  for  this,  as  from  twenty 
to  thirty  varieties  are  made  from  the  crop  and  one  single 
grower  would  have  only  a  little  of  each  variety. 

The  sorting  shop  of  to-day  is  a  good  example  of  specializing. 
Here  the  dealer  will  grade  and  pack  to  suit  his  trade,  making 
light,  medium  and  dark  wrappers,  with  three  to  five  sizes  of 


14 

each;  binders,  top  leaves  and  fillers,  with  different  sizes  of 
each.  These  different  grades  are  packed  into  boxes  2|  feet 
square  and  of  dift'erent  lengths.  From  300  to  375  pounds  are 
packed  and  pressed  into  a  case,  which  usually  goes  directly 
to  the  sweatroom.  This  sweating  process  used  to  be  done  in 
nature's  good  time,  and  was  accomplished  during  the  hot 
summer  months,  the  tobacco  being  dry  and  ready  for  market 
in  the  fall.  Now,  however,  the  crop  is  forced  to  sweat  by 
placing  it  in  a  steam-heated"  room  with  the  thermometer  at 
130  degrees.  In  about  thirty  days  the  operation  is  complete, 
and  the  goods  are  ready  for  market.  The  sorting  shops  employ 
a  great  deal  of  help  during  the  winter  and  pay  good  wages. 
They  usually  open  about  November  1  and  run  well  into  April, 
closing  in  time  to  let  their  men  out  for  outdoor  work. 

Shade-grow^n  Tobacco. 

This  article  would  not  be  complete  without  describing  in  a 
measure  the  latest  thing  in  growing  tobacco  in  the  valley.  To 
get  a  cigar  wrapper  that  would  possess  the  qualities  of  the 
domestic  leaf  and  yet  be  thin  enough  to  compete  with  the  goods 
grown  in  the  tropics  the  experiment  of  growing  tobacco  under 
shade  was  tried  first  in  1900.  To-day  this  process  seems  to 
have  passed  the  experimental  stage  and  has  evidently  come  to 
stay.  jNIany  growers  are  growing  from  20  to  50  acres  under 
cloth,  while  the  larger  corporations  are  growing  from  100  to 
300  acres. 

The  entire  field  is  set  with  posts  with  wire  strung  across  the 
top.  This  framework  is  then  covered  with  cheesecloth,  making 
a  vast  tent.  The  plants  are  set  as  before  described,  then  the 
sides  are  covered  so  that  the  cloth  reaches  to  the  ground.  This 
tent  tobacco  is  not  topped,.*and  often  the  blossoms  will  reach 
the  cloth  9  feet  from  the  ground.  The  tobacco  is  cultivated 
by  the  same  methods  as  outside  tobacco,  and  is  harvested  by 
the  priming  method. 

Enemies. 

The  first  real  trouble  with  tobacco  is  the  fungus  in  the  seed 
bed,  and  the  steaming  process  already  described  is  the  remedy, 
in  the  opinion  of  many  growers. 


15 


Cutworm. 
Immediately  after  the  plants  are  set  the  cutworm  begins  to 
operate  and  is  at  times  a  serious  enemy,  not  only  causing  a 
lot  of  resetting,  but,  what  is  worse,  causing  an  uneven  crop  of 
tobacco  that  will  not  ripe  evenly.  A  good  remedy  is  a  poisoned 
mash  made  by  mixing  a  pound  of  Paris  green  with  a  hundred 
pounds  of  bran;  this  should  be  sweetened  lightly  with  cheap 
molasses,  using  water  enough  to  make  a  stiff  paste,  and  a 
very  little  should  be  dropped  beside  each  plant.  This  may  be 
done  by  hand  at  no  great  trouble  or  expense,  or  by  a  machine 
made  for  the  purpose  and  attached  to  the  setter.  Another  way 
is  to  mix  1  pound  of  Paris  green  with  50  pounds  of  red  dog 
flour,  sifting  a  little  on  each  plant.  This  is  done  with  a  home- 
made sifter  and  is  not  an  expensive  operation. 

Wireicorms. 

Sometimes,  and  especially  in  a  cold,  wet  season  the  wire- 
worm  causes  considerable  trouble  for  the  tobacco  growers. 
While  the  plant  is  small  the  worm  will  bore  directly  into  the 
heart  of  the  stalk,  and  the  plant  will  have  the  appearance  of 
being  alive,  yet  w^ill  be  dying  all  the  time.  The  only  remedy 
is  late  plowing  which  not  only  kills  the  worm  but  will  destroy 
many  of  its  egg  cells. 

Horn  Worm. 

Early  in  July  there  will  appear  on  the  tobacco  plant  a  small 
green  worm  hatched  from  an  egg  about  the  size  of  the  head  of 
a  pin.  This  egg  is  laid  by  a  moth  that  flies  only  at  nightfall. 
The  worm  will  grow  as  large  as  a  man's  finger,  and  as  it  grows 
will  eat  more  and  more  ravenously.  One  worm  will  often  spoil 
two  or  three  plants.  Hand  picking  is  the  only  remedy  prac- 
ticed in  the  valley. 

GrasshoyXier . 

The  ordinary  grasshopper  will  cause  trouble  occasionally, 
especially  if  the  field  is  next  to  a  grass  lot.  After  the  grass  is 
cut,  if  the  weather  is  dry  and  the  rowen  crop  does  not  readily 
start,  the  hopper  will  eat  the  leaves  of  the  plant  next  to  the 
grass  full  of  little  round  holes.  Some  growers  protect  their 
field  by  planting  two  or  three  rows  of  corn  between  the  tobacco 
and  the  srass. 


16 


Hail  and  Wind. 
The  elements  mean  real  trouble  for  the  grower,  as  hail  and 
wind  may  quickly  ruin  his  crop.     Insurance  is  possible  at  a 
cost  of  $7.50  per  acre.     A  policy  of  $150  per  acre  for  a  total 
loss  will  about  pay  for  the  cost  of  the  crop. 

Early  Frost. 

The  remedy  for  this  is  to  have  the  crop  under  cover  before 
the  frost  comes. 

Pole  Siveat. 

Pole  sweat  is  caused  by  a  spell  of  damp,  warm  weather  during 
curing  time,  when  the  atmosphere  is  so  damp  that  evaporation 
cannot  take  place.  It  may  be  controlled  by  the  use  of  char- 
coal fires  built  in  the  shed,  either  in  holes  dug  in  the  dirt  floor 
or  in  small  furnaces  made  for  the  purpose. 

These  are  a  few  of  the  troubles  that  keep  the  tobacco  grower 
guessing  the  whole  season  long.  Other  problems  will  only  be 
settled  as  time  brings  the  answer.  One  question  that  is  causing 
much  discussion  is  the  supply  of  humus.  Without  manure 
there  is  a  danger  of  the  soil  being  without  vegetable  humus,  and 
as  a  result  it  packs  down  too  hard  and  does  not  retain  moisture 
as  it  should.  Some  growers  are  using  a  cover  crop,  sown  as 
soon  as  the  tobacco  crop  is  harvested  and  plowed  under  early 
in  the  spring.  This  plan  is  being  tried  out  more  and  more,  the 
claim  being  made  that  not  only  does  the  cover  crop  supply  a 
certain  amount  of  humus,  but  that  it  also  keeps  the  soil  from 
washing  and  blowing  during  the  late  fall  and  winter  months. 
Barley,  vetch  and  rye  are  the  crops  usually  sown. 

Just  a  few  last  words  on  the  subject  of  "handling."  The 
idea  of  tobacco  growing  is  to  make  money.  In  order  to  get  the 
best  price  for  his  goods  the  grower  must  raise  good  tobacco. 
He  must  handle  it  right  after  he  has  raised  it.  Many  a  crop 
is  spoiled  in  harvesting.  The  leaves  should  be  kept  free  from 
holes,  sunburn,  bruises,  etc.,  all  of  which  can  be  avoided  by 
proper  handling.  The  grower  is  mistaken  when  he  thinks  he 
can  save  money  by  using  boy  or  cheap  help,  as  a  slovenly, 
careless  man  may  easily  spoil  more  tobacco  in  a  day  than  he 
is  worth.    The  dealer  will  many  times  buy  tobacco  before  it  is 


17 

harvested  if  he  knows  that  the  grower  is  a  good  handler  and 
that  he  will  put  up  his  crop  right.  Another  grower  gets  the 
name  of  being  a  "hog  handler,"  as  it  is  called.  Dealers  say 
that  he  handles  his  tobacco  just  as  he  does  his  cornstalks;  thus, 
as  in  other  things,  it  is  true  of  tobacco  raising  that  "whatever 
is  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing  well." 

Estimate  of  Cost  of  raising  One  Acre  of  Tobacco. 

Rent  of  land  (including  use  of  shed), $50 

Labor  (including  raising  plants), 70 

Fertilizer, 50  to  $80 

If  bed  is  steamed, 2 

Paper  and  twine, 2 

S174  to  $204 

Estimate  of  yield  for  past  five  years, 1,500  pounds 

Estimate  of  price  for  past  five  years, 15  cents 

This  is  the  average,  but  it  is  true  that  many  growers  get  from 
1,700  to  2,000  per  acre  and  from  15  to  20  cents  per  pound. 

Cost  of  Shade-grown  Tobacco. 
According  to  the  figures  obtainable  it  costs  around  45  cents 
per  pound  to  raise  shade-grown,  and  it  has  been  sold  at  90 
cents  per  pound.     The  yield  per  acre  has  been  around  1,400 
pounds. 


I 


